Lauren Ball

My vision for Australia’s future is that knowledge creators are embedded and intertwined within the communities they serve. Discovery and understanding come from listening, genuine connection and enrichment. I creatively blend research excellence, leadership and strategy to create new knowledge for a better world.

As a researcher, my work shapes how communities thrive through health and wellbeing. I am Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing at The University of Queensland. Together with my team, we are internationally acclaimed with several awards and accolades for research excellence.

As a leader, I inspire people and organisations to imagine a more prosperous future. I bring people together and harness their collective ability to create innovative solutions to solve complex challenges.

As a strategist, I have a fresh and engaging approach to developing a shared vision, mapping the path, celebrating achievement and transforming improbable goals into realistic expectations.

The cornerstone of my work is leading the Springfield Living Lab. Living labs use geographical boundaries and systems thinking approaches to examine whole-of-city implementation and innovation mechanisms. They leverage infrastructure and partnerships to enable codesigned, pragmatic solutions in health and other disciplines that drive knowledge translation to benefit other contexts and regions. Springfield exemplifies the defining features of a living lab through its integrated urban design, strong local governance, and commitment to innovation across health, education, and technology. As Australia’s largest master-planned city, Springfield offers a contained, yet complex, real-world environment to co-create, test, and refine solutions to contemporary issues facing society. Living labs are increasingly recognised as effective models for place-based research, characterised by multi-stakeholder collaboration, iterative development, and embeddedness within everyday community life.

I have an international reputation for research excellence in primary care, community care, hospital services, allied health, health promotion and health policy. I use this expertise to drive improvements to the way community members are supported in pursuing their health and wellbeing. I am always looking to work with people, teams and organisations who share my vision. Together, we have the power to inspire, connect and deliver on new opportunities that will open doors to innovation and exemplify how communities prosper and thrive.

Please get in touch to explore how we can work together.